Hype is a truly infuriating thing for the music fan who doesn't depend on the major sites for music recommendations. But, as they're often my main lifeline to understanding what everyone is maybe listening to, it creates a tricky dynamic.

Example: A month or two back I saw a music journalist whom I consider a friend and whose professionalism I have the utmost respect for, publish a profile on the artist Tirzah. Due to the article appearing on a corporate-owned music site, I didn't read it at the time, much to my own detriment as it would turn out. When it comes to sites who rely on the income of corporate ads, which often have ties to artists, I'm deeply suspicious of who gets covered (re: if you don't have a publicist or someone on the inside, you're not getting your music heard let alone reviewed unless you're one hell of self-promoter).

I mention all this because about two hours ago, my brain suddenly and without prompt threw up an image of a video I haven't seen in at least four years by an artist I believe was called...Tirzah? 2013's "I'm Not Dancing" is a two-minute lightning rod of house minimalism and Love Guru-level fortune cookie truisms (I adore The Love Guru so I genuinely mean that as a compliment). The above jam initiated a day-time song trading session that is an oft-daily ritual with my bff Chavez. This particular back-and-forth culminated in one of us stumbling upon a seemingly random-ass upload from Mica Levi entitled "Go" released two years earlier in 2011 during the height of post-dubstep and the beginning of the end for the short-lived Wonky genre. In the track, a manically-chopped female chipmunk vocal is stitched into an almost fluid melody that is soon belied by an intoxicating choral billow before things get real wild, a sonic pile-up that is more risk-taking than excessive. "Go" is a testament to Levi's ability to take a relatively staid template and selectively blow its various components out of proportion to create a terrifyingly exciting mutation. The track, along with a handful of others, was eventually collected by the generally essential DDS imprint as part of the Taz and May Vids comp, a record that should have gone on my wantlist back when it was released in 2016. Get trippy, mane.